Do You Flemish?

Huh? Am I asking you are from Belgium? Or have a cold… phlegmish? No. No. Do you flemish?

To “flemish” is to coil the loose end of the lines* (ropes) used when boating.

It is an attractive and safe way (reduces tripping) to tidy and stow loose line.
Not all boaters do this, but when you see it, you think…

they care,

how neat and professional, and

what great attention to detail.

One of the reasons I admire Walt Disney is the way he pushed his teams to take extra steps to care and make their work neat and professional. His animation, theme park legacy, and brand was built on this attention to detail or “flemishing the lines.
Are there things at your business, with your products or services – or perhaps personally – that are being left untidy? Knotted ropes? Things customers could trip on?

If you fathom the benefits, take the time to coil those loose ends. Trust me, the tangles are noticeable, flemishing will reflect positively on your brand.

*Just like marketing, boating has lots of jargon. When boating you never call them ropes, they’re “lines”. Also the kitchen is called the “galley,” maps are “charts,” and the toilet the “head.” The expression “bitter end” comes from boating… it’s the last just before a line ends.